Rose Bouquet
by umpcai
Summary: Phoebe finds a box of mementos and must face memories she'd buried.


**Disclaimer: **I don't own Charmed. The song Rose Bouquet is by Phil Vassar.

**Rose Bouquet**

"This is the last one," Coop told his wife as he set the small box down on their bed.

Phoebe poked her head out of the walk-in closet. "Thanks, I'll get to it in a second."

The two had been married just a week before. Phoebe had moved into the apartment they now shared months before, but she had left several boxes in her old room at Halliwell manor, where her big sister still lived with her family. But, Piper was expecting for the third time, a little girl, and she wanted to turn Phoebe's bedroom into a playroom for the kids. Their younger sister Paige's room was going to become a nursery for Melinda.

Phoebe and Coop had headed to the house early that morning and picked up the last of her belongings. They were now going through them, throwing out things Phoebe no longer wanted or needed and finding places for the rest.

Coop sat next to the box. "Do you need any more help? Because, I've really got to get work. Others need the same happiness I've found," he grinned.

"I can handle it," Phoebe smiled and gave him a quick kiss. "Go and be the best Cupid out there."

Once Coop vanished within a heart, Phoebe turned to her last container. She grimaced. "This is way too much unpacking. Why didn't I just take this stuff with me when I first moved?" she said aloud, shaking her head. "I think I'll just shove you in the closet for now. I'm gonna go visit my cute nephews and worry about you some other time."

She picked up the package and began to move to her closet. But, she didn't make it there. The box wasn't a very strong one and the bottom opened, leaking its contents onto the floor at Phoebe's feet.

She groaned, throwing it aside and bending down to clean up the pile. She froze as her eyes landed on the objects. Staring up at her was a picture of a smiling couple, their loving gazes fixed on each other, unmoving.

Phoebe's hands shook as she picked up the photograph. Tears glistened in her eyes as she looked at herself wrapped in the embrace of her former flame. "Cole..."

_We were somethin', you and me  
Yeah we had'em rollin' in the aisles  
We got it right once, didn't we  
We had our shot and missed it by a mile  
Forget the bitter end  
Can you remember when_

Cole Turner had been her half-demon lover years ago. He had originally been sent to kill her and her sisters. Since she was a good witch, it was forbidden for the two to be together. But, they fell in love and he turned to the side of good. Eventually, Cole's evil side had been killed, leaving a void that allowed the Source of All Evil to possess him. Phoebe had been forced to vanquish him, but he'd come back, wanting her again. She couldn't see past her own pain and fears. Cole had gone insane from her constant rejection and his struggle to remain good without her help, understanding, or belief. An alternate version of Phoebe and Piper, along with the real Paige, had destroyed him once and for all.

Phoebe had put up a shield around her broken heart, causing all relationships since him to fail. But her own personal Cupid had made her face the past and break the barrier. And, now she was married to that same Cupid.

But, the destruction of her protective shield had also allowed her heart to recall the pain, and happiness, of her love with Cole. He was gone, though, so she didn't allow herself to dwell on it. This box of memories, things she hadn't thought of or looked at since his first vanquish almost four years before, however, had brought it all back.

Phoebe was filled with regret, hurt, longing, and love. She'd killed her soul mate. Staring at their wedding picture, she remembered that day.

_  
We sang, we laughed  
They all watched us dance  
They circled around us  
And toasted to forever  
We played to win  
We never gave in  
And we threw it all away  
Like your rose bouquet_

He'd been possessed then, and it had been an evil ceremony, performed by a dark priest, something Phoebe hadn't found out until weeks later. But, the vows, the love, they were all Cole. He hadn't been able to overcome the Source, but his feelings for Phoebe had shone through.

Paige, Piper, and Piper's husband Leo had been the only ones present. Phoebe had vaguely heard their cheers and seen their smiles. Her attention had been focused on her new husband. After almost two years of struggle, they'd finally overcome the odds and were together. It was supposed to be forever. If only Phoebe had faced the signs that he wasn't himself, instead of pushing those doubts to the back of her mind, not wanting anything else to go wrong with their relationship. If only...

_  
Passion flows like a long white gown  
But it ain't easy to keep your love alive  
We hoped each other would come around  
We'll use the lessons for better luck next time  
But how sweet it was back then  
Do you remember when_

But, she hadn't. And, she hadn't given him another chance once he escaped the Wasteland. So, their love had had an awful ending, both in pain and both still in love, though she was in denial.

Phoebe allowed the tears to flow freely down her face as she looked at their wedding bands. She'd retrieved his after his final demise. It had been left on a table in his penthouse. Picking up her engagement ring, Phoebe thought of his proposal.

They'd just defeated a demon and had been showered with his green blood. She was on top of Cole, having landed there once she was freed from the demon's grasp. He'd, on a spur of the moment, asked her to marry him. It took her quite a while to accept, she'd never thought of herself as the type to become a wife before. But, when Cole was healed by Leo after almost bleeding to death in a church from a gunshot wound, she'd told him to ask her again and she said yes.

After a mishap with her Grams cursed ring, she'd received the one she was currently holding.

"This way, no matter what happens, you'll always know that I love you," Cole had said, slipping the ring on her finger. The Source had entered him only hours later.

_  
We sang, we laughed  
They all watched us dance  
They circled around us  
And toasted to forever  
We played to win  
We never gave in  
And we threw it all away  
Like your rose bouquet_

_  
_Phoebe removed her rings from Coop and placed Cole's on her hand. It would only be for a minute. She did love Coop, but it wasn't the same as with Cole. He had been the love of her life. They were going to be together always, they'd swore it numerous times, but she hadn't been strong enough to hold on; she'd thrown it away as simply as they'd gotten rid of her flowers and other decorations from their wedding. She never even fought in the end. He'd been the only one to still believe.

She wrapped one of his shirts around her body as she knelt on the floor of her and Coop's home. And, she inhaled the scent of Cole, longingly. "I'm so sorry," she apologized to the empty room. "I did love you, I still do." She paused. "I'm happy with Coop, but, sometimes, I just wish..."

"Me, too."

Her head jerked up at the sound of his warm voice and Phoebe found herself staring into the deep blue eyes of her ex-husband. She reached out to caress his face, "Am I dreaming?"

Cole shook his head, "No, but I can only be here for a little while."

"Cole," Phoebe cried, burying her head in his chest while she encircled his waist with her arms. "I'm sorry; I'm so sorry."

He returned the embrace, running his fingers through her long, dark hair. It had been so long since he'd been able to feel her. "I know," he whispered. "And, I'm sorry, too."

"But, it was my fault," she protested. "I didn't believe in us. What we had, have, is so special, and I just threw it away."

Cole stopped her by placing a finger to her lips, "We both know it was my fault, too, Phoebe. I should've worked harder to control my demonic nature."

"But, you worked plenty hard enough, Baby. I should've helped you. I should've made you see how truly good you were, you are, instead of the opposite."

"Phoebe..."

She cut him off with a hard kiss, pulling him close. He broke it off shortly after and stared at her, "Phoebe, I came here to make sure you were OK, but I think that was a mistake. I need to leave now, before it becomes too hard."

"But..."

"No," Cole gently kissed her again, "I will always love you, Phoebe Halliwell."

He vanished before she could reply.

"Phoebe, Honey, are you okay? What happened?"

Phoebe opened her eyes and stared into Coop's concerned gaze. "Coop?" she asked groggily.

"Yeah, Sweetie, was it a demon? I came back and you were lying on the floor."

"I, I must have fallen asleep. Unpacking is hard work, you know," Phoebe said with a tight smile. She looked at the box she'd been holding. It wasn't broken and everything was still inside it. _It was just a dream?_

"Are you sure you're OK?"

She nodded as she stood up, keeping the box in her arms. 'I'll just put this up, now."

"OK," Coop said slowly. "I'll go make us some dinner."

Phoebe walked into her closet after his departure. Placing the box on a shelf above her head, she caught sight of her left ring finger. It wasn't the ring from Coop that was there. _But, how was it possible? _she thought.

Putting the ring back in its case, Phoebe announced, hoping he would somehow hear her, "I love you, Cole. And, I will always love you. Nothing can ever change that. We may not be able to have our happily ever after, but you have my heart and you always will, forever."

Walking to the kitchen to meet her husband, Phoebe heard, "And you mine."

Cole smiled from his plane of limbo when Phoebe glanced in the direction he was standing, having heard his words. He knew she could feel his love and he felt hers. He and Phoebe weren't meant to be, not in this life at this time, at least. But, their love would live on. It hadn't really been thrown away.

**The End**


End file.
